24 Ways of stumbling
by Reveriemare
Summary: Christmas calendar story with 26 mini-chapters (hopefully) uploaded daily where Levi is stuck at the hospital for Christmas ("I'M ON CALL!") and has to endure all the drama that adds up around this time of year. Luckily, his friends are there for him as well as a certain hot ortho god. (Schmico included) Rated T just to be sure
1. Prologue

Hi you all :)

After watching parts of GA's last episode, I couldn't stop thinking about Nico and Levi and since I cannot wait for the hiatus to end and Christmas is about to begin, I wanted to challenge myself and write a tiny chapter for every day of December until Christmas.

I wrote a prompt on NicoandLevi's Tumblr and after receiving amazing feedback I just had to upload it 😊

post/180550250852/soo-since-i-always-wanted-to-write-a-story-and#notes

Please be aware I'm a non-native speaker and this is unbetaed, I hope you still enjoy this tiny precious thing 3

Prologue

 _/A few weeks ago/_

"Guys, it's online!"

Everyone at the interns' locker room looked up when Levi ran inside, nearly tripping over his own two feet while looking at his phone. He almost ran into Casey as well but could stop himself, panting. "It's online!", he stated again when his three friends were still staring. "The chart about our upcoming shifts?", he explained helpfully. Instantly, everyone was diving for their phones. Once they found the right charts, the room got quiet while they kept scrolling down the document to get to their names.

"Couldn't they just enlist us by our first names?", groaned Dahlia, while she furiously swiped down again and again. She heard mumbled sounds of agreement from Casey and Levi while they kept scrolling. "Hey, I'm not complaining!", Taryn said but they ignored. She was the one whose name came first after all. The other three had to scroll to the bottom of the chart since their last names where all at the last quarter of the list.

 _/E, F, G, H - Helm, Taryn:/_

"YES!", she claimed triumphantly, "No shift on Christmas Morning!"

"Yeah, but you still have the night shift on the 24th", Dahlia noticed while scrolling down to her name.

Taryn just shrugged, "Well, I can just go home and change into pyjamas and open my presents when I'm home".

 _/M, N, O, P - Parker, Casey:/_

"Thank god!", Levi could hear his relieved whisper, "My shift's not the worst as well."

Dahlia and Levi exchanged looks. Who got the worst one? They kept scrolling down.

 _/Q_ – Quadri, Dahlia/:

Dahlia let go a sigh of relieve: "I'm fine as well."

Levi felt a sense of dread pooling in his stomach. He scrolled down.

 _/Q, R, S – Schmitt, Levi:/_

He almost dropped his phone. "What?", Taryn scrolled down to his name, "you're ON CALL for Christmas?" Levi just groaned. "/AFTER/ a 24 hour shift?!"

The others scrolled down to his name and gave him pitiful looks. Levi couldn't see them since he had his face buried in his hands and laid down on one of the benches. This Christmas was going to suck, he already knew it. He felt someone patting his shoulder. "I'm sure, you'll be free on New Year's Eve", he could hear Dahlia's attempt to cheer him up. He just sighed. "Thanks"

"Interns!"

All four jumped in surprise. They hadn't noticed Dr. Bailey entering the room. She looked down on them, turned around and walked out of the room, clearly wanting them to follow. They scrambled to obey her silent order.

"Christmas is about to start in a few weeks, I want all of you to be prepared for the worst case scenarios!", she commanded while crossing the hallway, the interns scurrying to follow. How could someone with such short legs be this fast? They asked themselves not for the first time since their start of internship. "Schmitt!" Levi tried to catch up while catching his breath as well. "Y-Yes, Dr. Bailey?"

"I assume you all have seen your shift charts already?"

"Yes, Dr. Bailey"

"Good", she said while turning a corner. Levi almost ran into a cart while trying to walk next to her. "Then you also know that you're on call for Christmas?"

"Yes, Dr. Bailey". A nurse jumped out of the way as the little crowd of four interns and the short doctor practically speed walked past her.

She suddenly came to an abrupt halt and turned towards him.

"I assigned you to that shift because you're behind your colleagues and you need to step up your game. You will not. Mess. This. Up. Understood?" Levi's mouth was too dry to answer, he just nodded hastily. Dr. Bailey, who obviously knew about the effect she had on him, just grunted while the corners of her mouth ticked upwards into a tiny smirk.

"Good, now follow me. We'll do rounds and then see if there's anything to do at the pit"

As they walked down the stairs towards their first patient, Taryn leaned over Levi's shoulder.

"You know what you have to do when you come home tonight?", she whispered. "Sleep. A lot!"

Dahlia turned towards them and helpfully added: "And tell your mom that you might need to postpone Christmas dinner!"

Levi just groaned and buried his face with his hands. This Christmas would be the worst ever!


	2. Chapter 1

**1** **st** **chapter**

His mum hadn't been particularly pleased when he told her about his upcoming Christmas shift. While she had been a bit sad that they had to change or even cancel their dinner plans, she had also understood how important working as an intern at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital was for her son. So, with a huff and a strained smile, she had given him a reassuring hug. "It's just Christmas", she had said while patting his shoulder in a _/there, there/_ gesture, "we can still celebrate once you're home and well-rested."

That was three weeks ago. Now, Levi was staying in front of said hospital, breathing in the cold, fresh air of winter and mentally preparing himself for what was to come. He had been trying to be extra thoughtful and nice at home as well as at the hospital: He made notes about all the incoming patients (in case some of them would return during his shift and they had overlooked even the slightest detail), new cases as well as all the new methods he was learning every day. Levi knew he was clumsy and awkward, but he really didn't want to mess up his Christmas shift! People were supposed to be home celebrating this time of year and yet there were burn victims from forgotten candles or a short-circuit of Christmas tree lights. Stressed-out people came in with heart-attacks, broken ankles from falling down a ladder or ice-skating accidents.

There is nothing romantic in a snow-covered landscape anymore after you have treated dozens of car crash victims.

/ _You can do this!/_ he told himself for the umpteenth time, finally starting to believe in the words at least a little. He straightened his shoulders, gripped the straps of his backpack and made his way over to the entrance, almost tripping over a hidden bump in the asphalt. Clearing his throat and trying to act casual, he entered the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor.  
 _/Let's go, Schmitt!/_

When he sat in the interns' locker room and changed into his scrubs, he noticed a package in his backpack, wrapped-up in bright red paper. There was a card attached to it with a dog clad in a doctor's lab coat on the front. Reading it, he instantly recognized his mum's handwriting:

 _/Dear Levi,_

 _I'm soo proud of you and what you've accomplished so far! You're saving so many lifes and today, you will be saving Christmas for many people as well. You're my son and an incredible doctor, keep that in mind during your shift._

 _Merry Christmas, hopefully this package will help to bring you at least a little joy during your working hours._

 _I love you, mum/_

Levi couldn't help but smile. _/Oh, mum!/_ Inside the package was a container with Christmas cookies in the shape of ugly Christmas sweaters, reindeers and Christmas trees with a note that said he should enjoy these on his (hopefully!) many breaks, two cans of energy drinks and one of cold-brewed espresso ( _/I've heard how aweful the coffee at the cafeteria can be sometimes, hopefully this helps!/_ ), chocolate ( _/mood lifters! 3/ )_ and a gift that, according to the note sticking to it, he wasn't allowed to open until to last hours of his on-call shift. Levi just sat there, taking it all in. He really had the best mum. Suddenly, his Christmas shift didn't seem like a looming cloud of doom that had been hovering over his head ever since he had looked at his shift chart.

Now, it seemed a lot less scary. He could actually do this. No, he / _would/_ do this!

He was jus finishing with changing into his scrubs when Taryn slipped into the room, slightly out of breath. "I _/hate/_ traffic!", she grumbled while practically jumping out of her street clothes and changing into her scrubs in record timing. She had just finished tying her laces, when Dr. Webber appeared at the door: "Interns, follow me!". They all scrambled after him. Taryn gave Levi a scrutinizing look. "You ready for this?", she whispered with a hint of concern in her voice. As they followed Dr. Webber down the hallway towards the first patient to start their rounds, they passed a man clad in dark jeans and a leather jacket. Just as Levi was about to scurry by, the man looked up and their eyes met for a second. It was Nico, apparently on his way out. Levi almost ran into Taryn's back while trying to maintain eye contact with him. The bustling crowd of interns turned a corner, Levi lagging behind. Nico entered an elevator, still looking at him. Levi saw a glimpse of a smirk just as he turned the corner and the elevator doors closed.

/ _Yeah/_ , he thought to himself, running after the others, _/Yeah, I think I am./_


End file.
